A Critique of Critical Geopolitics

Comparisons between classical and critical geopolitics are made with the suggestion that both versions, although different in most respects, are equally legitimate for study and perhaps may be brought closer together, at least in ways that may complement each other, after inspection of their comparative approaches. The classical version deserves consideration as a contribution to international relations theory and to foreign policy making. The critical approach provides a needed and necessary critique of the classical, exposing its weaknesses and suggesting an emancipatory alternative. Accordingly, the author has selected a variety of associated characteristics that show the primary variations between the classical and the critical, illustrated by appropriate quotations and examples, with again the conclusion that both versions of geopolitics, the classical and the critical, merit credibility, and that a possibility exists where certain connections may be located between the two that could mutually clarify and strengthen their unique contributions to geopolitics as a whole.     

Book reviews

Many commentators suggest that market and competitive dynamics threaten the very survival of small shops in the UK. In light of this, the research presented here reports the findings of a major study that investigates the relationship between market orientation and performance in small UK retailers through an empirical analysis of survey data. Findings indicate that market orientation and performance are positively related and, moreover that, the customer strategy focus of small retailers is the key determinant of success compared with other components of market orientation and environmental influences. The implications for practitioners and policy makers are considered, particularly the importance of market-oriented culture in formulating and implementing customer-led strategies which distinguish successful small retailers from those that struggle to survive.     

Ex ante and ex post long-run average cost functions

The traditional, neoclassical derivation of the long-run average cost(LAC) function is based on minimizing the cost of a given output. However, there are a number of reasons why the theoretical concept of this ex ante LAC function is likely to differ significantly from ex post cost-output observations when output is stochastic. In agriculture, the farmer's decision making criterion is assumed to be one of minimizing the cost of producing some planned output level. Average cost is then a function, inter alia, of planned output rather than realized output. It is argued that there is no operational significance in the cost-realized output relationship; in practice, the farmer's concern is with the cost-planned output relationship. This paper proposes a two-stage procedure to estimate the latter relationship. Cross-section data on UK dairy farms for 1980/1 are used to show significant differences in the ex ante and ex post relationships.     

Lean and mean in the civil service: the case of processing in HMRC

The public sector has been importing private sector methods and practices aimed at generating efficiencies and cost savings. However, the consequences of these changes on the working lives of civil servants are under-researched. This article uses detailed fieldwork to investigate the impact of Lean on labour processes in HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). We argue that Lean has a detrimental effect on employees, their working lives, and the service that is provided to the public. The consequences of Lean on public sector work are highly problematic, which is of serious concern given its progressive impact on other civil service departments in the UK.     

混合动力汽车如何运转

混合动力汽车是一种折衷产品,目的在于显著提高汽车的燃油效率,同时减少传统燃油汽车的尾气排放,和克服纯电动汽车的缺点。     

Reverse Diffusion in US Multinationals: Barriers from the American Business System

abstract    This paper addresses the issue of 'reverse diffusion' of employment practices in multinational companies, which is defined as the transfer of practices from foreign subsidiaries to operations in the country of origin. It adds to the literature by examining the influence of the parent business system in multinationals. Specifically, it addresses how the dominant institutions and established organizational structures and practices in the home country affect the extent and impact of reverse diffusion of employment practices. Drawing on fresh evidence from American-owned multinationals in the UK we argue that there is considerable potential for reverse diffusion to occur among this group of firms. However, we highlight a number of barriers to reverse diffusion that the American business system presents, demonstrating that these constrain both the prevalence and the impact of it in practice.     

Ageism,early exit,and British trade unions

Union responses to ageism and the early exit phenomenon are here examined, based on documentation received from some 40 British unions. Our results show that though age discrimination is now accorded some prominence in union agendas, policies towards exit are only partially informed by current conceptions of ageism.     

Consumption versus Demand‐Recovery after BSE?: A Fuller Analysis

Consumption versus Demand ‐ Recovery after BSE?:A Fuller Analysis Counterpoint–Hubbard – By 1999 consumption of beef in the UK had recovered to its pre‐BSE level of 1995, but what about demand? Simple market analysis demonstrates that given an initial negative shift in the demand schedule, there are five possible combinations of subsequent shifts in demand and supply that result in consumption returning to its original level. Thompson and Tallard (EuroChoices, Spring 2003) contend that demand did not recover until 2001, which implies a positive shift in supply, i.e. more beef supplied at any given price. A more likely outcome, however, is a negative supply shift, because of additional BSE‐related costs and the removal of beef from the food chain. This requires demand to have more than recovered by 1999. Thus any investigation of the impact of BSE on the beef market needs to consider supply as well as demand changes. Reply–Thompson Consumption data alone are an inappropriate benchmark to evaluate shifts in demand caused by BSE. Our estimates of the demand shift account for changes in the determining economic factors, namely meat prices and income; but consumer demand does not depend directly on beef supply. Full market analysis, however, could add useful insight if based on similar evaluations of shifts in supply, trade and stocks. La demande s'est elle rétablie au même niveau que la consommation après I'ESB ? Un complément ?analyse. Counterpoint–Hubbard En 1999, la consommation de viande bovine au Royaume‐Uni a retrouvé son niveau de 1995, avant ?EapidÉmie ?ESB. Mais qu'en est‐il de la demande ? La théorie élémentaire des marchés montre qu'à partir ?une chute initiale donnée, le retour au niveau de consommation originel peut résulter de cinq combinaisons de déplacements dans les courbes ?offre et de demande. Thompson et Tallard (Eurochoices, printemps 2003) soutiennent que la demande n'est pas revenue à son niveau original avant 2001, ce qui suppose un déplacement vers le haut de la courbe ?offre, c'est‐à‐dire, une augmentation de ?offre de bceuf pour un prix donné quelconque. Un glissement vers le bas de la courbe ?offre est cependant bien plus vraisemblable, du fait des coûts supplementaires liés aux mesures sanitaires et à?interruption de la présence du b?uf dans les filières alimentaires. Cela implique que la demande en 1999 aurait plus que compensé la chute antérieure. Ainsi, toute analyse de ?impact de ?ESB sur le marché du b?uf doit envisager la possibilityé de changements aussi bien dans ?offre que dans la demande. Réponse de Thompson A elles seules, les données concernant la consommation sont bien insuffisantes pour évaluer les changements dans les courbes de demande apportés par ?ESB. Notre estimation du glissement de la demande résulte de ia considération des facteurs qui la commandent, à savoir le prix et les revenus, sans que la demande dépende directement de ?offre. Cependant, une analyse complète du marché pourrait en effet Jeter une certaine lumière sur la question, à condition ?être basée sur des évaluations cohérentes des glissements dans ?offre, le commerce extérieur et les stocks. Verbrauch versus Nachfrage –Erholung nach dem BSE‐Skandal? Eine ausführlichere Analyse Counterpoint–Hubbard Bis zum Jahr 1999 hatte sich der Verbrauch von Rindfleisch in Großbritannien wieder auf den Stand vor dem BSE‐Skandal aus dem Jahr 1995 eingestellt, was aber war mit der Nachfrage geschehen? Eine einfache Marktanalyse zeigt, dass bei einer anfanglichen negativen Verschiebung der Nachfrage fünf Kombinationen nachfolgender Verschiebungen möglich sind, die dazu führen, dass der Verbrauch wieder seinen ursprünglichen Stand erreicht. Thompson und Tallard (EuroChoices, Frühjahr 2003) behaupten, dass sich die Nachfrage erst im Jahr 2001 erholt habe, was eine positive Verschiebung des Angebots impliziert, d.h. ein höheres Rindfleischangebot zu jedem beliebigen Preis. Ein wahrscheinlicheres Ergebnis wäre jedoch eine negative Angebotsverschiebung aufgrund von zusätzlichen mit BSE verbundenen Kosten und ein Herausfallen von Rindfleisch aus der Nahrungskette. Dies bedeutet, dass sich die Nachfrage bis zum Jahr 1999 mehr als erholt haben muss. Daher ist es erforderlich, dass jede Untersuchung der Auswirkung von BSE auf den Rindfleischmarkt sowohl Angebots‐ als auch Nachfrageanderungen berücksichtigt. Antwort–Thompson Verbrauchsdaten allein reichen nicht aus, um durch BSE verursachte Nachfrageverschiebungen zu evaluieren. Unsere Schätzungen zur Nachfrageverschiebung erklären die Änderungen in den ökonomischen Bestimmungsgründen, Fleischpreise und Einkommen; dieVerbrauchernachfrage hängt allerdings nicht direkt vom Rindfleischangebot ab. Eine ausführliche Marktanalyse könnte jedoch zusätzliche nützliche Erkenntnisse erbringen, wenn sie auf ähnlichen Bewertungen von Verschiebungen des Angebots, des Handels und der Lagerbestände beruht.     

Making space for sex work: female street prostitution and the production of urban space

This article explores the processes by which distinctive red‐light districts are created in western cities, focusing on the changing location of female prostitution in Birmingham (UK). Adapting Henri Lefebvre's ideas on the production of space, as well as Michel de Certeau's distinction between strategies and tactics, the article argues that the changing location of prostitution in the city is the result of a constant interplay between the ordering strategies enacted by the police, council and community protestors and the resistive tactics adopted by sex workers. The net outcome of this process, it is argued, is that a space is created for prostitution so that its resistive potential can be contained within a heterosexually‐ordered city. The article therefore concurs with Lefebvre when he argues that conceptualized space tends to overcode and dominate lived space, but concludes that sex work always threatens to create new ‘spaces of representation’ that challenge the heterosexual ordering of society. En examinant les processus par lesquels se créent des quartiers ‘chauds’ caractérisés dans les villes occidentales, cet article s'intéresse à la délocalisation de la prostitution féminine à Birmingham (Royaume‐Uni). A partir des idées d'Henri Lefebvre sur la production d'espace, et de la distinction établie par Michel de Certeau entre stratégies et tactiques, il est démontré que le changement d'implantation de la prostitution dans la ville résulte d'une interaction permanente entre, d'une part, les stratégies autoritaires décrétées par la police, la municipalité et les opposants membres de la communauté et, d'autre part, les tactiques de résistance adoptées par les travailleuses du sexe. Cette combinaison se solde par la création d'un espace pour la prostitution de sorte que sa ‘résistivité’ puisse être maîtrisée dans le cadre d'une ville régie par un ordre hétérosexuel. L'article rejoint ainsi Lefebvre lorsqu'il affirme qu'un espace conceptualisé tend à sur‐codifier et dominer l'espace vécu ; toutefois, il conclut que le travail du sexe menace constamment de générer de nouveaux ‘espaces de représentation’ défiant l'ordre hétérosexuel de la société.